The present invention generally relates to a food warmer and dispenser for dispensing a liquid food product, such as but not limited to syrups, fudges for ice cream, condiments, sandwich toppings, cheese and other types of liquid food product. More specifically, the present invention relates to a disposable pump that can be used in cooperation with a flexible product container including the liquid food product such that after the product container has been emptied, the disposable pump can be thrown away with the product container.
Currently available liquid food product dispensers include an open interior that receives a supply of food product. The food product, such as nacho cheese, syrups and toppings for ice cream, is contained within a collapsible container, such as a sealed plastic bag, having a fitment or coupling device. The coupling device receives a corresponding fitting on a pump assembly such that the pump assembly can be used to dispense the liquid food product from the product container.
Typically, a pump assembly has a fitting that mates with the fitting on the flexible container and punctures the food container to dispense the liquid food product. An example of this type of pump is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,959. Although this pump functions effectively to dispense the food product from the sealed container, at the end of each day the pump must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. Thus, the owner of the food warmer and dispenser must spend time washing out and thoroughly cleaning the pump assembly each night.
Alternatively, food warmers and dispensers have been developed that include a peristaltic pump that is used to draw the liquid food product from the product container through a discharge tube. An example of such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,935. Although a peristaltic pump is an effective way of dispensing liquid food product from a product container, the peristaltic pump system suffers from several drawbacks. One such drawback is that the discharge tube connected to the product container is typically formed from silicone. The silicone tube is required to provide adequate strength and resiliency for use with the peristaltic pump. Although a silicone tube functions well in this environment, the silicone tube increases the cost of the product container. Another disadvantage occurs when the peristaltic pump is used with the liquid food product that includes solid food particles having a size similar to the inner diameter of the discharge tube. For example, if the peristaltic pump system is used with nacho cheese including chopped peppers, the chopped peppers can cause the peristaltic pump to create surges of food product as the pepper particles become jammed and subsequently released within the inside of the discharge tube.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combined food product warmer and dispenser that utilizes a simple, effective pump to dispense food product from a collapsible container. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a pump that is disposable such that the pump is utilized with only a single product container and can be disposed of after the product container has been emptied. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism that can be used in connection with the disposable. pump to operate the pump and dispense food product. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism that can dispense a known volume or variable volume of food product for each activation such that measured amounts of food product can be dispensed. Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drive mechanism that can be easily released to allow the removal and replacement of the pump from within the food warmer and dispenser.
The present invention is an assembly for dispensing liquid food products from a self-contained flexible container, such as a sealed plastic bag. The dispensing assembly includes a disposable pump that is configured to connect to a coupling device or fitment contained within the flexible container and a compressing device that is mechanically actuated to compress and release the disposable pump to dispense food product from the assembly. The compressing device is controlled by a mechanical drive member such that the assembly dispenses a known amount of food product each time an actuation button is pressed on the dispensing unit.
The disposable pump of the dispensing assembly includes an open portioning chamber that receives food product from the flexible container. The portioning chamber is integrally formed with a dispensing portion of the pump. The dispensing portion receives the food product from the portioning chamber and directs the food product out of a spout for use as desired.
In addition to the portioning chamber and the dispensing portion, the disposable pump includes an attachment portion that is attachable to the portioning chamber. The attachment portion includes an attachment fitting having an open interior that is in communication with the open interior of the portioning chamber. Thus, the food product can flow into the attachment portion and the open interior of the portioning chamber from the flexible product container. The disposable pump includes a pair of locking fingers that engage the coupling device of the flexible container to secure the disposable pump to the packaging container.
The disposable pump further includes an inlet valve positioned between the attachment portion and the portioning chamber. The inlet valve allows food product to flow in only one direction as the pump is used to dispense food product. The inlet valve includes an outer sealing ring and a deflectable flap attached to the sealing ring. The deflectable flap contacts a seat formed between the attachment portion and the portioning chamber to restrict the upward movement of the flap and thus prevent the flow of food product from the portioning chamber into the attachment portion. The inlet valve is press fit into the disposable pump.
The disposable pump further includes an outlet valve positioned between the portioning chamber and the dispensing portion to prevent movement of food product back into the portioning chamber from the dispensing portion. The outlet valve is formed from a combination of a flex washer and a cone washer. The cone washer includes an outer ring and center plug. The center plug is supported by a series of bridges to provide access openings for the flow of food product between the center plug and the outer ring. The center plug is sized to be received within a center opening of the flex washer such that the flex washer allows food product to flow in only one direction.
The entire disposable pump is designed to be attached to the flexible product container and disposed of along with the flexible product container once the product container has been emptied. The design and construction of the disposable pump reduces the costs of the pump and allows the pump to be disposed of as desired.
The compressing device in the preferred embodiment of the invention includes a pair of actuating arms that each extend between an inner end and an outer end. The actuating arms are each pivotally mounted to a support bracket such that the outer ends of the actuating arms are positioned on opposite sides of the disposable pump. The inner ends of the actuating arms are received within a drive track formed on a rotating cam plate.
The rotating cam plate is configured such that as the cam plate rotates, the drive track causes the inner ends of the actuating arms to move toward and away from each other. The movement of the actuating arms toward and away from each other results in movement of the outer ends toward and away from each to compress the disposable pump.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the compressing device, and specifically the cam plate, are connected to an electric drive motor. The electric drive motor is actuated by depressing the actuation button on the face of the food warmer and dispenser or a paddle beneath the front face. Upon depression of the actuation button or paddle, the electric drive motor compresses the disposable pump to dispense a known volume of food product and subsequently releases the disposable pump to refill the pump with food product.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.